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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28350600">This Snow Globe Scene</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/cminerva/pseuds/cminerva'>cminerva</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Christmas in Absaroka [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Longmire (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Canon divergent season 6, Christmas Romance, F/M, Family Feels, implied Walt/Henry</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 20:53:30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,125</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28350600</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/cminerva/pseuds/cminerva</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Cady takes Jacob home for Christmas Eve dinner with her dads. Title from "Winter Dreams" by Kelly Clarkson.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Cady Longmire/Jacob Nighthorse</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Christmas in Absaroka [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2075856</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Longmire Holiday Exchange</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>This Snow Globe Scene</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/call_for_help/gifts">call_for_help</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Prompt by call for help: New Year's Resolutions (anyone, especially if it involves humorously writing resolutions for other people) </p><p>The prompt is in there...sorta!</p><p>This fic stands on its own but I highly recommend starting with Part 1 of the Christmas in Absaroka Series!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Jacob pulled on his suit jacket and adjusted the cuffs of his shirt as Cady entered the bedroom. He smiled as she rummaged through the jewelry box on the dresser and found the earrings he’d given her last month. Stepping closer, Jacob held her hips as he gently pressed a kiss to her hair, enjoying how she immediately leaned back into his touch.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know, I would understand if you would rather go alone,” he said quietly, meeting Cady’s eyes in the dresser mirror. “I know things are getting better with your father, so if you’d rather have an easy evening without me there to set him off...”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cady made a face in the mirror and turned in his arms so their chests were pressed together. She gave him a quick kiss then pulled away to meet his eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Absolutely not,” she said. “Henry and I had a long chat with dad about how this evening is going to go and he knows perfectly well that I will leave the moment he is anything less than civil to you.”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jacob raised his eyebrows.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Civil is what we’re aiming for, huh? Pretty low bar.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cady snorted and shook her head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know, but it’s a start. And it means a lot to me that you’re willing to have dinner with him at all. I would absolutely understand if you never went near him again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s your father, Cady. I would lead the parade if you decided never to speak with him again, but I’m also going to support you rebuilding the relationship so long as Walt is doing his share of the work.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cady smiled and kissed him again, giggling a little when he tightened his grip on her waist.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re going to be late if you keep that up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And now we’re worried about upsetting Walt?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cady laughed again and gently pushed him away so she could finish getting ready.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, we should be worried about upsetting Henry. He doesn’t like dinner to be kept waiting.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Despite her stated confidence about how the evening was going to go, Cady was tense on the drive to her father’s house. Jacob moved one hand from the steering wheel to rest on her leg, giving it a squeeze and prompting Cady to give him a quick smile then gasp as she noticed the snowflakes swirling outside the car. Her eyes lit up and Jacob could see some of the tension leave her body as she enjoyed the sudden snowfall.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Henry greeted them at the door, ushering them into the warm cabin and accepting Cady’s hug with a smile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is Mingan joining us tonight?” Cady asked, looking around. “We brought him some gifts.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She gestured to the armful of brightly wrapped presents Jacob had carried in from the car.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, that was very thoughtful,” Henry told her. “Mingan opted to spend the evening with Mathias. Apparently the promise of sweets and video games was more enticing than a boring dinner with adults.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Henry took the gifts from Jacob, who was surprised to see a small Christmas tree in the corner, decorated with what could only be the creations of a much younger Cady. The Cady at his side stared at the tree for a moment, her expression unreadable, before her father emerged from the kitchen and she grinned before burying herself in Walt’s embrace.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jacob held out his hand and there was a tense moment as Henry and Cady both waited with bated breath. Finally, Walt grabbed Jacob’s hand and gave it a quick shake then turned and stalked back into the kitchen on the mumbled pretense of getting drinks for everyone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jacob watched Walt’s retreat then turned his eyes towards Cady, worried that she might be upset by her father’s abrupt departure. To his surprise, she was beaming.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"This is honestly better than I could have hoped," she told him. "And he's obviously furious, so that's a plus."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jacob shook his head at her cheeky response, but he smiled anyway.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dinner was not quite as tense as Jacob had anticipated. Walt didn’t initiate conversation with Jacob - or anyone really - but he listened and smiled when Cady spoke and even managed not to flinch when Cady included Jacob in her stories and touched his arm once or twice. Jacob suspected that Henry may have shot Walt a few warning looks to keep him in line but Cady seemed content, which was his primary concern for the evening.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Despite the meal going better than he'd expected, Jacob was relieved when he could step onto the porch after the meal while Henry and Walt cleared the table. Cady joined him a moment later with their drinks. She was wrapped in the blanket Jacob had noticed on the couch earlier and she snuggled close to his side as he slipped an arm around her waist. The snow had stopped while they were inside but a soft breeze blew some of the powder from the nearby trees, creating a pretty effect as it swirled by.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I must say, I’m impressed,” Jacob said. “I don’t know what you and Henry said to Walt but he’s certainly been...making an effort.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I told him not driving me away could be my Christmas present and his new year’s resolution all in one."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"And that worked?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"The resolution part? No, he hates those. But the rest of it, the idea that he might actually lose me? It's starting to sink in."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jacob admired Cady’s soft features in the fading light then pressed a quick kiss to her temple.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wasn’t expecting to see a Christmas tree in Walt Longmire’s home,” Jacob said after a moment. “I guess he’s full of surprises tonight.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm yeah,” Cady replied. “That was...unexpected.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jacob looked down and gave her arm a squeeze. “Hey, you okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cady took a deep breath and nodded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am. It’s just that being here at my,” Cady paused and her voice shook a bit before she pressed on, “at my parent’s cabin without mom is hard. This is the first Christmas Eve since she died that dad and Henry and I have all been together without me having to split my time between them like a kid whose parents got a divorce. But now we’re together again and, hard as it is, it's also kind of wonderful and having you here means more than you know. Last Christmas I could never have imagined being this happy.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cady’s eyes sparkled as she looked at Jacob. “And I am,” she told him, pressing a kiss to his lips. “Very happy. Now come on, let’s go cuddle up on the couch and see how long we last before dad kicks us out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jacob chuckled and followed her inside.</span>
</p>
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